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Criminology and dentistry researchers awarded funding for sex workers’ oral health study

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Five people standing indoors in a bright room holding oral health kits.
From left to right: Posey Jolly, Steph Ryder-Walker, Dr Gemma Ahearne, Julie Smedley, Dr Janine Yazdi-Doughty

An innovative collaboration between the University of Liverpool's School of Dentistry and the School of Law and Social Justice has received an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Acceleration Account grant of £21,499.96 for the project 'Sex workers oral health: understanding the oral health experiences and priorities of sex workers in England and ways to access them'. Dr Janine Yazdi-Doughty (School of Dentistry) is Principal Investigator, with Dr Gemma Ahearne (School of Law and Social Justice) as Co-Investigator.

The ESRC funding will allow the team to extend their work to Manchester and London, in addition to Liverpool. The project will also include a travelling exhibition showcasing art created by women involved in the research, which will be displayed across UK dental schools.

This award builds on previous funding successes for the team, including a £5000 University of Liverpool Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Participatory Research Funding grant (2025) for 'Sex worker oral health: understanding research priorities and the acceptability of oral health outreach with students'.

In addition, the team received a £1,200 Inspire Summer Internships grant and a £2,000 grant from the IAA Diverse Outputs competition (2025) for the project ‘Oral health needs, experiences and research priorities of sex workers in Liverpool: exploring the perspectives of sex workers and dental professionals'. On 4 December, fourth-year dental students Posey Jolly and Steph Ryder Walker were recognised with the University of Liverpool Inspire Summer Internships Best Research Project award for their work on this project, which was supervised by Dr Yazdi-Doughty and Dr Ahearne.

Dr Gemma Ahearne said: “With 24 years’ experience of the sex industry, I am delighted to continue working with Dr Janine Yazdi-Doughty on such an important, applied project. I have always been an advocate of doing things differently, and our novel and innovative research will have a real impact on the health and lives of sex workers, and those professionals who treat them. Our thanks go to all participants, and all staff at the Iris Project, with particular thanks to Julie Smedley, Project Lead”.

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